Veterinary Compounding
You love your pets, why not give them customized care?
The practice of pharmacy compounding is becoming a popular solution to veterinary problems. Compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients and their pets. Its resurgence in recent years provides valuable benefits to today’s pet owners.
The compounding solution
Why should you consider compounding as a solution for your pet’s medical problems? That can be answered with another question: How hard is it to get your cat to swallow a pill?
As any pet owner is well aware, animals may be extremely difficult to treat with medications. Cats are notorious for refusing to swallow a pill, they will also “foam” at the mouth with many oral liquids and will usually not eat food if you try to hide the medication in it. In addition, dosages can be very tricky with dogs because of the huge difference in sizes. Think of the dose for a Saint Bernard vs a Yorkie…it is vastly different! We can customize most pet medications to each individual pet despite size or kind of medication.
Flavored medication
We can customize flavors specifically for pets. We have tuna, beef, chicken, peanut butter and a variety of other flavors which will make the medication more palatable for the animal. We can also make pet “treats” which your pet will appreciate vs trying to get a pill down them or a nasty tasting liquid. By working closely with your veterinarian, a compounding pharmacist can prepare medication into easy-to-give flavored dosage forms that animals will love!
Dosage problems
Did you know we can make many medications for cats in a topical cream to be rubbed into the upper inner part of their ear? Cats usually loved to have their ears rubbed and how nice to give them a little affection while administering their medicine at the same time! No hissing, running and hiding, or foaming at the mouth makes it easier on the pet and the owner as well! Animals also come in different shapes and sizes and as a result, not all commercially available medications are appropriate for your pet. Some medicines come in large tablets or capsules and a much smaller dose is needed. That’s where compounding is especially helpful. In this situation, your veterinarian can prescribe a chicken or tuna flavored suspension with the dose that is exactly right for your pet’s size and condition.
Commercially unavailable medicine
From time to time, a manufacturer will discontinue a medication used in veterinary practices. As compounding pharmacists, we may be able to obtain the pure bulk pharmaceutical powder and prepare a prescription for the discontinued product at a dosage strength and form appropriate for that pet’s specific needs.
We work closely with many caring veterinarians and pet owners to help improve the health and well-being of their pets.